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343 New Testament Teaching on the Second Coming Of 343 NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. V. MILLENARIANISM. IN the earlier papers of this series, by a comparison of the various types of primitive eschatological teaching embodied in the New Testament, we have found complete historical proof that the early followers of Christ were looking forward to a definite moment when, unexpectedly, suddenly, audibly, and visibly Christ will return in bodily form from heaven to earth, to wake up the dead, to change the living servants of Christ, to judge all men, and to bring in the everlasting glory. In this confident and definite expectation, we found complete agreement between the Epistles of Paul, the Syn­ optist Gospels, the Fourth Gospel, and the Catholic Epistles. The same expectation finds expression also in the Book of Revelation. These various writers also teach that at the coming of Christ evil will be in power. And St. Paul teaches expressly that the appearance of Christ will be pre­ ceded by appearance of a new and terrible form of evil, an outward and conspicuous manifestation of evil influences already more or less secretly operatiJ:?.g among men ; and that this evil power will be brought to nought by the bright­ ness of the appearance of Christ. The Book of Revelation, however, differs from all the rest of the Bible by depicting, before the last apostacy, an earlier and overwhelming defeat of the hostile powers, lasting in its effects for a thousand years. In other words, the Book of Revelation teaches two interpositions of supernatural power, each overturning, one for a time, the other finally, the enemies of God and man. The relation of these two victories of good over evil to the second coming of Christ so frequently announced in the New Testament demands now further enquiry. The question before us is whether the vision of Christ on 344 NETV TESTAMENT TEACHING ON a white horse depicted in Revelation xix. 11, or that de­ picted in chapter xx. 11 on ''a great white throne," corre­ sponds to the audible and visible and bodily return of Christ so frequently announced in the other books of the New Testament and indeed in Revelation i. 7, xxii. 12, 20. This question must be answered by a comparison of the two visions and of the events following them with the har­ monious teaching of the rest of the New Testament. The very close similarity in thought and phrase between Revelation xx. 11-15 and Matthew xxv. 31-46 at once attracts attention. In each account, Christ sits upon a throne and all mankind stand before Him and are judged by Him according to their works. In exact agreement with these passages is John v. 28, 29, where at the bidding of Christ all the dead leave their graves and go forth to life or to judgment according as they have done things good or bad. Very similar also is 2 Thessalonians i. 6-10, where we read that Christ at His revelation from heaven will give relief to His servants but eternal destruction to those who obey not the Gospel. This similarity is a strong presump­ tion that these four passages refer to the same solemn event. On the other hand, the vision of Christ in Revelation xix. 11-16 and the events pourtrayed in verses 17-21 present not nearly so many points of coincidence with the teaching of the New Testament about the second coming of Christ. For nowhere else is Christ's coming represented as that of a soldier armed for £ght, nor is the destruction which follows His coming represented as a military overthrow. He comes, not as a soldier for the fight, but as a judge armed with irresistible power. This preliminary judgment is con£rmed by insuperable difficulties involved in the supposition that the coming of Christ for which the early Christians were waiting will be followed by the Millennium and Apostacy described in THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 345 Revelation xx. 1-9. This will appear if we pursue this supposition to its consequences, taking into our account the indisputable teaching of other parts of the New Testa­ ment. We must conceive the world going on in its usual course, and evil in great power. In a moment, as in the earlier papers we have learnt, a voice from heaven is heard, and Christ appears. At that voice, and to meet their appearing Lord, the murdered servants of Christ wake up from the sleep of death. But not these only. For we cannot con­ ceive this marked honour given only to those who have actually shed their blood for Christ when so many others, e.g. Wycliffe and Luther, were equally faithful and equally ready to die for Him. If there be, before the Millennium, a bodily resurrection, it must be shared by all the faithful and departed servants of Christ. And along with these risen ones, we must conceive, according to the plain teaching of 1 Corinthians xv. 52, 1 Thessalonians iv. 16, that the righteous then living will be changed and caught up to meet Christ. What about the living children of living be­ lievers? Infants, we may suppose, will be caught up with their parents. But what about those in their teens? Surely there will be a selection, the good ones taken and the bad ones left behind along with those who, not being servants of Christ, will have no part in the resurrection which will immediately follow the voice and appearance of Christ. What becomes of the adult unsaved ones? Are we to suppose that they will continue on earth, eating and drink­ ing, marrying and being given in marriage, in successive generations? And what will be the moral state of man­ kind when the salt of the earth and the light of the world are removed? It might be thought that it will become a pandemonium. We must however remember that at the beginning of the Millennium the prince of darkness has been bound. But unfortunately there are no servants of Christ 346 NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING ON left on earth to take advantage of this removal of the great enemy of God and man and to preach to the wicked a Gospel of repentance. And of any general turning to God we have no hint in Revelation xx. 1-6, the only passage in the whole Bible which speaks about the Millennium. Let us now try to follow, on the supposition before us, the risen servants of Christ. Their bodily resurrection, and such is expressly mentioned in 1 Corinthians xv. 23, 35, 44 as following-at once the coming of Christ, implies a definite place. Where are they? Not on earth. For this is still occupied by the unsaved, who were not caught up to meet Christ. And we cannot conceive mingled together on the same planet some who have yet to die and others who have passed through death and will die no more. Such confusion of the present age with the age to come is in the last degree unlikely. If not on earth, are we to suppose them to be somewhere between earth and heaven, visible to the wicked still living and dying on earth? This suggestion would so completely change the conditions of human life and proba­ tion on earth as to make its continuance utterly incompre­ hensible. Or are we to suppose that the risen ones and the changed survivors will suddenly vanish from earth into the unseen world, in some such way as the ascending body of Christ vanished from His disciples' view? In this case, the second coming of Christ would be a voice and appearance of Christ from heaven, heard and seen 1 by all men, yet followed by His disappearance and the disappearance of all the good people then living on earth. Of such disappearance of Christ after His return, we have no hint in the New Testament; and it contradicts the whole tenor of its teach­ ing on this· subject. Touching the condition of the world during the Millennium, the supposition we are considering leaves us in utter per­ plexity. The naughty children of pious and living parents 1 Revelation i. 7. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 347 have been left to the mercy of a race from which all the righteous have been taken away. Satan is bound. But, unless the risen ones are sent to proclaim the Gospel to the unsaved, there are none to teach them. The only good in­ formation we have about the world is that at the close of the Millennium it contains (Revelation xx. 9) " a camp of the saints." After a long period, described as " a thousand years," during which Satan is bound, he is liberated, and returns to the earth. He is welcomed by a host as numerous " as the sand of the sea," who follow him to make war against the people of God. This quick and great apostacy proves that the Millennium is no triumphant and universal reign of righteousness. And it disproves the supposition that during the thousand years Christ is reigning visibly on earth. For we cannot conceive such revolt in His visible presence, nor can we conceive that at the release of Satan Christ will retreat, even for a short time, from the realm over which He has reigned so long. In any case, the triumph of Satan is short. Fire falls suddenly from heaven, a great throne appears, the books are opened, and all men, good and bad, are judged according to their works, The above difficulties and contradictions are serious objections to the hypothesis which involves them.
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